Planting Bulbs

 I planted all kinds of daffodil bulbs the other day. Planting bulbs is much like finding a great christmas present for someone in July. You put it away and forget about it and then 6 months later! Surprise!

Bag of  Gifts
6 x 6
$150  

It's amazing how these dried up, rather homely things turn in to such a welcome blast of spring right when we need it most. 

Planting them is a gift to the world. 

(Well, at least to your neighborhood)  

Fashion Statement

Our Girls Just Wanna Paint Challenge  topic this month is "Fashion" 

so I just had to paint my new favorite fall shoes. 

Black Wing Tips
10 x 10  

"Sensible" AND fun! 

You can't beat that.

Be sure to check out our blog at the end of the month to see what my fellow fashionistas come up with ! 

Busy Bodies

I resurfaced the image for this painting last week while digging around in my "subjects to paint" file. 

Something about the shape of these girls attracts me. 

They are such "busy bodies!" 

"Busy Bodies"

8 x 10

Looking for something fun to do Sunday? 

The Duxbury Gallery at Halls Corner (next to Duxbury Pizza) is hosting a meet and greet for artist 

Ros Farbush 

on Sunday from 12 - 3 pm.  

Painting from Photos

My lesson this week was about painting from photos and understanding that a light object (a white shirt) in the shadow, is darker than a dark object (maroon beret) in the light. (Hard to grasp, I know)

I did this as a practice demo the night before.

I'm glad I did because the one I did in class was a wiper!
I  am still not totally comfortable painting in front of a class.
It's hard! 

We divided our palettes in half and mixed all the shadow values on one side and all the light values on the other. 

It's a "disciplinary action" that works! 

  

Art Walk on Sunday was perfect!

One of my paintings at Winston Flowers yesterday 

This is just one of the photos posted in Boston Globe article on 

boston.com/hingham today about the Hingham Arts Walk!  

The day was just spectacular, all the way around. 

Kudos to all the organizers, merchants, and artists. 

Blog of the Week!

Hey! Check it out. "Simply Painting" is the "Blog of the Week" on the South Shore Forum! 

Oh and I am also mentioned on www.localbetty.com.

All in preparation for the Hingham Arts Walk tomorrow from 12 - 4 pm

Come by Winston Flowers and say hello! 

Hingham Arts Walk This Sunday!

www.discoverhingham.com

If you looking for something fun to do this Sunday, come by Hingham Square from 12 - 5. All the shops and restaurants are open and artists of various mediums will be there with their work. 

I will be 

 showing many of my new works at 

Winston's Flower Shop

location # 21  

so stop by! 

Go to www.nancycolella.com for a preview!   

Exercise Results

Folks were asking, so I thought I'd share how the 

"Simplified Shadow Mass" exercise went today. 

(See yesterdays post) 

My demo.
I knew I would be in trouble with that orange background (see below) so last minute,
I decided to change it to a grey green.

Mary St. Sauveur massing in everything in the shadow in one color.
You can already feel the drama! 

Voila!
Mary's second painting using the technique learned in the exercise!

We all had such fun!  This exercise is a wonderful tool for learning how to design a dramatic composition, compare and exaggerate the lights and darks, and in general, just have fun with paint! 

Everyone in the class did an incredible job and I wish I could post all of them. 

Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of all of them! 

Simplified Shadow Mass Exercise

For tomorrow's class,  I'm doing an exercise that involves massing in everything that is in shadow in one value and LEAVING IT ALONE. 

Then, for everything in the light, you use thick paint in the local color. 

I did a practice demo this afternoon.

Practice Demo 

5 x 7 

This is so FUN!  

It teaches you to simplify the big shapes right off the bat, and say "a lot with little." 

And that's what this class is all about!  

Again, thanks to Peggi Kroll Roberts for sharing these valuable and wonderful lessons on her DVDs.

Who doesn't love Winston's Flowers?

Yesterday, I went over to Winston's Flowers in Hingham Square to check out the space where I'll be showing my work at the Hingham Arts Walk a week from Sunday. 

 I'm thrilled that my paintings will be in such a beautiful space! 

Every inch of it is a visual delight. 

I'll be showing a selection of architecture, landscapes, figures, and of course flowers! 

All on the small side.

Two Against One
10 x 10


Go to 
www.nancycolella.com 
to check out more new works to be shown
Sunday October 17
12 - 5 pm
(more info to follow)  

  

Information gathering

I recently re-visited Peggi Kroll Robert's website and purchased her 5 lesson DVD set to get ideas for my classes. (That's where the Limited Stroke exercise I posted yesterday came from) They are wonderfully produced and offer a wealth of information in a very organized and efficient way. Peggi is an absolutely delightful instructor and I highly recommend them.

It occurred to me that when I took a workshop with her in Fredericksburg, Texas about 10 years ago, I didn't "get" a lot of the information she gave us. I just wasn't ready for it. Over the years though, as I've  worked at developing my own style, I began to understand and use many of the valuable tools she presented back then.

by Peggi Kroll Roberts

I guess that's how it works. You gather and absorb as much information as you can and eventually, at your own pace, it all comes together and your personal style begins to emerge.
That's why I love teaching.
For those wonderful "AH HA!" moments; when a student suddenly "gets it" and is one step closer to finding herself. 

Limited Stroke Exercise

Today I had the class do a limited stroke exercise 

which is a great way to force yourself to: 

a. see the big shapes 

b. use more paint 

c. put down a stroke and LEAVE it! 

by Sue Hoy

Here's how it works: 

Set up a simple still life (one or two objects) in bright light.

Do a drawing, outlining the big dark and light shapes. 

Carefully plan how many strokes you will need to cover the canvas, and write that number down. 

Load your brush up with plenty of the right color (the bigger the area, the bigger the brush) 

DO NOT pick up the brush until you have covered the planned area! 

After every stroke make a mark to keep count.  

Ok. So she went over by three strokes. No big deal.

(I gave each one of them a "mulligan" so it was really only over by two)  

She clearly got the idea and ended up with some nice juicy texture and a dramatic affect! 

October Saturday

October Saturday
8 x 8

Out for a walk on Saturday morning, this white laundry blowing in the wind caught my eye.
Sadly, I think that was the last we will see of that kind of brilliant sunshine in a long time! 

Architecture

I've been thinking a lot about architecture lately. 

Probably because I am reading "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan,

 an enthralling love story involving Frank Loyd Wright.

Not Designed by FLW
4 x 12

 I took a LOT of artistic license and just had fun with an odd sized canvas I had.